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Commissioners seek clarification on procedure for legal-fee requests
Summary
A commissioner asked about the process when a request for legal-fee recovery arises; the executive director explained the administrative timeline for filing, response, and scheduling a hearing.
A commissioner asked the executive director about the procedure for requests to recover legal fees in ethics matters and whether the commission or the complainant would be asked to pay. The commissioner prefaced the question by saying this was the first time in their recollection such a fee request had been raised and asked staff to explain the procedure.
The executive director described the administrative sequence: "It it will come back to the commission. They have 30 days to file it. It'll come back to the commission, and the complainant will have 15 days to respond to the complaint's motion. And then it'll come back. We'll set a hearing, and I believe, the hearing has to be held within 60 days, I believe." Commissioners clarified on the record that the request discussed would seek the complainant to pay the fees, not the commission, and noted that civil remedies could follow after the commission's administrative processes conclude.
